Yankees favouring 3-man rotation vs. Angels

The New York Yankees are considering a three-man pitching rotation against the Los Angeles Angels in the American League championship series.

Manager Joe Girardi says a shortened rotation means he could keep Joba Chamberlain and Chad Gaudin in the Yankees' bullpen.

"In the 10-day forecast that I looked at, it looks like we have some rain in the forecast, so that can change things," Girardi said Tuesday during a conference call. "But we are definitely considering possibly going to a three-man rotation in this round, but we'll have to take a look at it and see how it goes."

That means Game 1 starter CC Sabathia would be starting Game 4 on three days of rest.

However, the big left-hander is familiar with short rest, having played with the Milwaukee Brewers in a similar fashion last year.

New York held Sabathia to 230 innings of work during the regular season — down from 253 the previous year. He will also get eight days of rest before the opener against the Angels , another reason why the Yankees think a Game 4 start is manageable.

"Not getting him to 250 innings during the regular season allows us to consider that," Girardi said. "We've told him, though, to concentrate on Game 1. That's the most important game, and we'll go from there."

Coming off a first-round sweep of Minnesota, the Yankees used Chamberlain as a set-up man in all three games. He only allowed two hits, and combined with Phil Hughes and the rest of the bullpen to strengthen the link between starters and closer Mariano Rivera.

"That was pretty good with us in the first round," Girardi said. "If you go to a three-man rotation, obviously, he stays in the bullpen. But if you go to a four-man rotation, then we have to weigh the benefits of either of putting Joba in the bullpen or putting Chad in the bullpen."

The Yankees will open their best-of-seven series on Friday night in the Bronx against the Angels, who swept the Boston Red Sox.